ROLE TITLE: Director, Operations and Events

POSITION REPORTS TO: Senior Managing Director, Strategy - Morgan Craig

APPLICATION DEADLINE: August 20, 2024

START DATE: September 2024

LOCATION: New Jersey

SALARY:

• Tier A: $67,500-101,100

• Tier B: $73,600-110,200

• Tier C: $79,700-119,300

WHAT YOU’LL DO

Teach For America New Jersey is looking for a Director, Operations & Events to support the execution of all regional events and manage all team operations with a specific focus on systems and structures that support participants from incoming corps members to alumni. The ideal candidate will be passionate and skilled in event planning- with a keen eye towards bringing vision to life through strong logistics. They will be able to laterally manage others to strong execution and work in partnership with a wide range of individuals- from vendors and community partners to staff, students and families. This person will be exceptionally organized and able to coordinate systems- on a variety of platforms- and execute on them to support the work of the regional team.

At Teach For America New Jersey we are committed to doubling 3rd grade reading proficiency and working alongside our communities to do this work. As the Director, Operations and Events this person will be a critical contributor by way of creating spaces that spark joy and a collaborative energy and ensure we have strong systems to track progress towards our outcomes.

WHAT YOU’LL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR

Team Operations (55%)

Support logistical and execution support for incoming corps member and corps member program operations (35%)

• Create and evolve back-end systems for certification and hiring for incoming corps members and lean in as necessary to ensure the systems are up to date

• Draft, review, revise and update participant facing materials to be clear, concise and user-friendly

• Responsible for continued tracking towards certification- working with the MDMG, MDLDs and RPOC for a strong handoff and ongoing communication regarding certification compliance

• Ensure our data systems capture necessary information that provides insights on approach and can be analyzed for trends that inform larger strategic choices around certification, hiring and partnership.

Ensuring the New Jersey team has the tools, space and resources needed to be successful (10%)

• Manage regional office operations to support the team’s productivity and satisfaction

• Full ownership and management of relations with building management, local vendors and national admin team for any future Newark and Camden office spaces

• Oversee maintenance of office technology, space and resources; this includes ordering supplies, stocking inventory, delivering mail and creating systems that allow for a clean, warm and welcoming environment

Collaborate to ensure strong team systems that promote productivity and culture (10%)

• Co-manage the regional calendar with the Senior Managing Director of Strategy, ensuring that it is up-to-date and relevant for all staff and provide back-up calendar support when needed for the Executive Director

• Support the execution of staff facing work, including but not limited to staff step-backs, culture Amp reflections and staff PD and learning

• Craft correspondence and manage follow-up for internal staff communication

Events Management (35%)

Collaborate and support all event planning- with a focus on coordinating logistics and execution

• Lead logistics for all TFA New Jersey events, including, but not limited to:

  • All in-person learning spaces for all participants

  • Network engagements- including holiday parties

  • Pre-Service and Practicum community events as needed

  • Back to school event(s)

  • TFA participation in Community events

• Collaborate with the relevant team(s) to lead the following tasks:

  • Incorporate input and expertise on the overall flow and concept of the event while being responsible for full execution of event

  • Aid with speaker and stakeholder outreach as needed

  • Creation of event collateral like signage, nametags, etc.

  • Manage volunteers, staff, and other components of the DOL

  • Owning relationships with vendors and venues for in-person events

  • Order food, gifts, and other required supplies for a successful event

  • Attend venue walkthroughs and assist with taking photos, videos, and notes

  • Onsite event support (setup, registration, errands, breakdown, etc.)

  • Manage the event-specific budget

  • Other duties as assigned

• Work with the relevant team(s) to capture learnings, reflections and feedback in debrief meetings; synthesize that data for the broader team.

Internal Organization Commitments (10%)

• Participate in team and organization-wide activities and events that are either required of or open to all staff, such as corps member selection, strategic planning, and retreats/step-backs.

• Matriculate incoming New Jersey corps members during 4-5 confirmation windows

• Thoughtful and ongoing engagement with opportunities for Diversity, Equity, Inclusiveness (DEI) and anti-racist learning and growth, applying those learnings into professional practices.

• Prepare for and engage in our performance development program.

• Uphold our data management, operational compliance, and fiscal responsibilities.

• Other projects as assigned by manager.

YOUR EXPERIENCE

Your areas of knowledge and expertise that matter most for this role (minimum qualifications):

• At least 5 years of relevant experience

• Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, inclusive of intentional and continuous learning and self-reflection

• Strong ability to invest and mobilize large and diverse groups of constituents

• Outstanding interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence that enables relationships to achieve concrete goals

• Excellent project management, organizational and time management skills

• Able to speak to and model our core values and commitment to racial equity and belonging

BONUS (preferred qualifications)

• Prior experience in operations or event planning

• Knowledge of the education and philanthropic landscapes in New Jersey preferred

• Some weekend and evening work required

YOUR FUTURE TEAM

New Jersey is the 3rd wealthiest state in the nation, and its high school graduation rate—nearly 90 percent—is among the highest in the country. However, a closer look reveals a daunting gap in education outcomes between low-income students and their more affluent peers. For over 30 years, Teach For America has grown to become the nation’s largest, most selective, and most diverse source of new teachers for low-income communities, as well as the largest source of educational entrepreneurs. Today, New Jersey is home to over 90 corps members and 1,700 alumni working to improve education options for students and families and is focused on stabilizing and deepening its impact. In addition, as we consider both short and longer term impact, New Jersey has set an ambitious goal, that by 2030 twice as many 3rd grade students in Newark’s south ward and Camden will meet reading proficiency standards.

A WEEK IN THE LIFE

With regularly scheduled events for participants, you will be responsible for managing TFA New Jersey’s participant event calendar. Each week you will collaborate with project leads and a variety of internal and external stakeholders to ensure that each event meets its goals- from placing food orders and coordinating supply purchases to conducting onsite walk-throughs and drafting staff logistics memos and run of shows. You will schedule and conduct after action reviews for each event and ensure learnings are translated into action. For some events- like corps member professional development- you will work closely with the project lead who sets vision and direction to ensure that the logistics support that vision. For other events, like holiday parties in North and South Jersey- you will be project lead and work to collaborate with others accordingly.

In addition to event management, you will check-in regularly with the SMDS to ensure we are making progress towards our 2030 goal and building the systems and structures the team needs to track and monitor progress towards our goals- with a specific focus on participant facing systems that bridge from onboarding through to alumni-hood. With hiring and certification as critical moments- designing, maintaining and evolving appropriate systems that support execution and strategy will be critical components that require attention weekly. You will work closely with the MD,MG to transfer onboarding information to a regional system for hiring and certification- making sure the myriad of actions that must be taken at a corps member and school level are monitored for compliance. While you’ll typically laterally manage others (MDLDs mostly) to ensure data is up to date, there may be times of the year where direct communication with stakeholders is required. Periodically, you will connect with the MD, Data and Research to elevate trends and patterns that can support team strategy.

A day or week in the life of the DOE is always a little different depending on the time of the year. An ideal candidate will be able to set their own schedule and deadlines that ensure work is moving forward. For the most part, and depending upon location, this role will be mostly office (or home office) based with bi-weekly travel to in-person meetings and as needed travel for events and other engagements.

YOUR COMPENSATION

The applicable salary range for each U.S.-based role is based on where the employee works and is aligned to one of 3 tiers according to a cost of labor index in that geographic area. Starting pay for the successful applicant will depend on a variety of job-related factors, which may include education, training, experience, location, business needs, or market demands. New hires are typically brought into the organization at a salary between the range minimum and the salary range midpoint depending on qualifications, internal equity, and the budgeted amount for the role. The expected salary range for this role is set forth below. This range may be modified in the future.

• Tier A: $67,500-101,100

• Tier B: $73,600-110,200

• Tier C: $79,700-119,300

You can view which tier applies to where you plan to work here. If your location is not listed, please click here for additional total rewards information.